Agenda item

To receive a verbal update from the Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services, the Corporate Director for Social Care, Health and Wellbeing and the Interim Director of Public Health.

1.            Mrs J Whittle gave an oral update on the following issues:-

Parliamentary Education Select Committee Report – Mrs Whittle had given evidence to the Select Committee about children placed more than 20 miles from their home.  It was known that some placing authorities did not undertaken the risk assessment that they were required to do before placing a child. Some sanctions would be needed to make sure that placing authorities complied with the new Government regulation that no placement over 20 miles’ distance from a child’s home should be made unless there was a very good reason for doing so.  Mrs Whittle said she would await a response to the Select Committee’s report before lobbying the Children’s Minister about sanctions, and would send Committee Members a copy of her letter to the Minister.

Adoption Outcomes – placements and adoptions had both increased substantially.  Siblings and children with disabilities were harder to place, and adopters were being sought who could take on these harder-to-place children.  Another adoption day would be arranged shortly, at which prospective adopters could meet children awaiting adoption. The previous adoption day in July 2013 had been a great success.

CAMHS – this had been the subject of a constructive debate at a recent meeting of the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (HOSC), and work to reduce the waiting time between referral and treatment was continuing.  Although services for Tiers 1 to 4 were provided by different agencies, the service should appear seamless to service users. Improvement to the service had been achieved but much work was stilled needed, as the current provider had inherited a service with major shortcomings.

Family Justice/Family Courts – this issue had been the subject of very recent media coverage, as care proceedings were now required to be concluded within 26 weeks.  Some delays had been caused by the need to engage expert witnesses, but the involvement of these witnesses at as early a stage as possible would help proceedings. Good progress had been made in the County Council’s relationship with the judiciary.  A Family Rights Group had expressed a fear that a child’s birth family might be excluded from legally taking on care of the child.

2.            Mrs Whittle, Mr Ireland and Ms Hammond then responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:-

a)    It was difficult to generalise about the weight that a birth mother’s wishes would be given as every case was unique and would be judged on its individual circumstances. There was much which needed to be taken into account, including the relationships between parents, grandparents and other family members and the way in which conflict of emotional interests might be dealt with in the family; and

b)    Robust sanctions would be needed to address the placement problems experienced in Thanet. Ofsted’s inspection framework for children’s homes was being tightened up, and Mrs Whittle undertook to look into a speaker’s specific concerns outside the meeting.

3.            Mr A Ireland gave an oral update on the following issues:-

Appointment of Assistant Director of Safeguarding and Quality Assurance – Patricia Denney had taken up this post.  

Implementation of Liberi – the installation of the computer client management system was now complete and had gone well.  The new system had been commissioned to address issues highlighted by the 2010 inspection.  Staff had been trained to use the new system and had reported that it was a great improvement.

The Preventative Services function had moved to the Education and Young People’s Services Directorate as part of the Transformation exercise. Staff from Specialist Children’s Services had transferred.

Staff Briefings had shown that morale was high and staff felt positive and engaged.

4.            Mr Scott-Clark gave an oral update on the following issues:-

Local Authority commissioning of Health Visitors – the date on which the County Council would take over the commissioning of the health visitor service had been delayed from April 2015 to October 2015 due to an ongoing programme of work.  However, the County Council would be able to influence the commissioning of the service before that time by working with NHS England.  Mr Scott-Clark undertook to keep the Cabinet Committee updated on issues relating to the transfer of the service.

Update on School Nursing – the school nursing service was working closely with and becoming integrated with the Youth Offending Service.  This joint working was welcomed and its success would be monitored.

5.            Mr Scott-Clark then responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:-

a)    The close working of the school nursing and youth offending services would allow improved access to families to undertake preventative work, whether or not these services were to be co-located with the health visitor service.  All school nursing services were commissioned by the Kent Community Health Trust, using a commissioning grant from the Government; and

b)    It was unclear as yet whether the County Council would take over the commissioning of the health visitor service as it was or make changes to it in the future.  Recruitment of health visitors in Kent was currently on course, with a good training package being offered to help encourage new applicants.  The service was currently limited to children aged between 0 and 5, however, so the service did not have as broad a scope as the County Council would wish it to have.

6.            The verbal updates were noted, with thanks.